


Walk a Tightrope

by wheelsablaze



Category: Free!
Genre: Angst and Humor, Comfort, Explicit Language, Fluff, M/M, Multi, Sexual Content, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-30
Updated: 2014-08-30
Packaged: 2018-02-15 09:53:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,424
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2224662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wheelsablaze/pseuds/wheelsablaze
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Don't be fooled, love is never easy. Love is never perfect. Certainly, love is never two-dimensional. Love is hard work, but always worth the fight.</p><p>Rin, Sousuke, and Makoto... they're all about to experience a whirlwind of hormones, heart ache, and new love.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Easy now, with my heart...

Sousuke wasn’t sure when it happened. He wasn’t sure how it happened. He definitely knew he hadn’t  _wanted_  it to happen, but it was too late for that. There was no going back now, not until his curiosity was satiated. Not until he had at least a small taste of what the green-eyed, sickeningly sweet man standing before him had to offer.

"Yamazaki-kun? Are you okay?"

Sousuke was shaken slightly from the direction his thoughts had taken, only to realize he had been caught staring almost unseeingly at the beauty before him.  _Shit, he asked me a question, what did he say? Pull yourself together, Sousuke._

"Sorry, what’d you say?" he asked in his best imitation of nonchalance he could muster. His voice didn’t waver, at least, but he could feel a bit of heat creep into his cheeks.

Makoto gave him his trademark squinty-eyed smile, “I asked if you were ready to start the relay?”

Sousuke looked around him to see the rest of his team and the Iwatobi guys staring at him expectantly, catching a particularly disgruntled glare from Rin. He had almost forgotten what was going on, being so entranced by watching Makoto’s lips move as he discussed the joint team practice with Rin.

Looking away from all the gazes, seemingly unfazed, his features perfectly schooled, “Yeah, let’s go.” Putting all his focus on the water in front of him, he forced Tachibana to the back of his mind.

After the relay, Sousuke had excused himself to the Samezuka locker room. The race had been close, but the Iwatobi team still couldn’t quite match up to Samezuka.

They’d had a flawless start, as opposed to their prefectural race, but Ryugazaki was no match for Sousuke’s butterfly. He was truly their only weak point, but Sousuke had to give him credit, judging from what Rin had told him, he knew the new swimmer had improved leaps and bounds from the previous year.

Still, Sousuke couldn’t figure out why they kept practicing together; they were opposing teams, swimming so closely before the impending regional tournament would only hurt both sides. There was nothing to gain from it.

Maybe he was too practical, but he couldn’t understand the whimsy of “friendship” the others seemed to cling so tightly to. He knew that was why these practices were still happening and it frustrated him. Seeing Tachibana only furthered his frustrations, of course… maybe that was the real reason he hated these pointless joint practices.

Hearing the locker room door open, he turned to see Rin advancing toward him with a stern look on his face. Sousuke wasn’t surprised, he knew the stupid shark would come looking for him. Groaning inwardly, he ignored his friend and headed toward the showers.

Rin followed, unruffled by Sousuke’s cold shoulder and raised an eyebrow, “What’s got your legskins in a bunch, now?”

"What do you mean, ‘now’?"

Rin scoffed, “Tch, there’s always something you’re agonizing over.”

"I’m not ‘agonizing’," Sousuke scowled as he turned the nearest shower head on, "I’m reflecting on this completely useless practice we just had."

"Useless?  _Really_?” Rin’s irritation only made Sousuke smirk. “You know that this ‘useless’ practice isn’t over, right?”

"For me it is, I’m only participating in the relay, remember?"

"Not by my choice, you should be participating in individual races, too, but you refuse!"

"I’ve already been scouted, I don’t need to push myself any further."

Rin’s face grew red, “Obviously, you don’t care much for this team, then!”

With a sigh, Sousuke turned to look at Rin, “I  _do_  care. Of course I care, but we’re fine in the individual races. You’re the best butterfly swimmer we’ve got. You don’t need me in that race,” his calm seemed to stoke Rin’s fire a bit more, but the red head remained silent as Sousuke continued. “I can’t risk injury before I go to university, alright?”

Rin glowered, “Fine, but that doesn’t excuse your poor attitude toward our guests, you know. Or toward your own teammates. You should be out there, cheering everyone on.”

"Look, I know they’re your friends and all, but practicing with them isn’t helping anybody. We can’t focus on the team when you’re too busy being buddies with our opponents. You’re  ** _our_**   _captain_ , you know.”

"I  _am_  your captain, and I’ve been giving my all to be a good one for this team! If anything,  _you_ seemed to be the one that was most distracted today. What the hell was going on with you at the start of practice, huh?” Rin’s question seemed weighted, and Sousuke felt a familiar flame gain life in his chest.

 _Did he notice I was…_  he couldn’t even finish the thought, the embarrassment would be too much.

"Wha-"

“ _And_ ,” Rin pressed on, stepping closer to his best friend, “everyone else,  _on both teams_ , has had excellent times today,  _while_  they were enjoying themselves, I don’t see anything wrong with that.”

Sousuke had to turn away then, giving Rin a dismissive grunt, ”Look, I’m  _sorry_ , okay, is that what you want to hear? Can I shower now?”

Rin growled, “I  _want_  you to come out and act like a part of this team.”

Sousuke’s steely eyes settled heavily on Rin’s fiery ones, weighing his options. He didn’t want to piss Rin off, that hadn’t been his intention. Simply, he had just needed time alone to gather himself, to understand why he felt so goddamn flustered.

Relenting, he turned off the tap and sighed heavily. He opened his mouth to apologize properly, however, the locker room door opened again, causing Rin and Sousuke to turn.

"Rin?" a soft voice called out.

Makoto half stepped into the locker room until his eyes caught red and teal gazes, “Ah, sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.” Sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck, Makoto shifted on his feet looking slightly uncomfortable. Understandable, of course, the tension in the air was palpable.

Rin visibly relaxed at the sight of the brunet, “Makoto, it’s fine. What do you need?”

"Your team’s been asking for you, I told everyone to continue practice while I looked for you."

"Ah, right, okay, I’ll be there soon," Rin gave a small smile in reassurance.

Makoto gave a hesitant smile in return, casting one last wary look at the two. He didn’t want there to be any fights, he knew how temperamental Rin could be. It wasn’t his business, though, so he left without another word.

Smile fading slowly, he turned to level another glare toward Sousuke, who looked a little dazed. Rin’s eyes narrowed, “That reminds me, why were you ogling Makoto earlier, hm?”

"Wha-" Sousuke gaped.

 _Fuck, he noticed_ , “I wasn’t og-“

"I  _saw_  it. Plain as day. I could have laughed at the blush on your face,” Rin teased a little too menacingly.

"I don’t blush," Sousuke mumbled, looking anywhere but at Rin.

Rin laughed and shoved him lightly, “Everybody is capable of blushing, idiot.”

"Whatever, I wasn’t ‘ogling’ Tachibana, alright?"

"It’s hard not to, I don’t blame you."

Sousuke’s head snapped toward Rin like a whip. _  
_

_Did he just-_

"Dude, Makoto is gorgeous. And sweet. And so blissfully oblivious to everything it’s enough to make you want to scream," Rin sighed wistfully.

"Seems like you’re the one that’s caught up in Tachibana."

"I’d like to be," Rin waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Despite that persistent gnawing he felt in his belly, Sousuke couldn’t help but chuckle at that, “Yeah, well, he’s not so bad, I guess. Definitely the most tolerable out of your Iwatobi friends.”

"Admit it, you’d like to bend him over and-"

"Stop," Sousuke couldn’t bear that train of thought right now. "We’re not doing this. Weren’t you just lecturing me about cheering on our team? Let’s go." Pushing quickly passed Rin, he headed for the exit, hoping the other couldn’t see that the tips of his ears were practically on fire.

Rin let out a bark of laughter, “Ha! You don’t blush, huh? You should see yourself right now, Yamazaki.”

"Shut up, Matsuoka."

Rin laughed softly and called out, “Wait.”

Sousuke was almost out the door. He was desperately trying to forever banish those dirty thoughts that hung at the fringes of his brain. He bit out a curt, ”What?”

"Let’s make this interesting. Let’s see who can get to Makoto first."

Sousuke couldn’t believe his ears. Why was this happening? Why wasn’t the ground opening up and swallowing his best friend whole like he had desperately been wishing for?

"Why are you saying this all of the sudden?"

Without turning to look at Rin, he could hear the grimace in his voice, “I can’t let you have Makoto without a fight.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I seriously feel like this shit is going to be... cheese city. I mean, I'm working on it, but damn.
> 
> orz
> 
> This is my first Free! fic, so bear with me. It's also only my second attempt at writing fanfiction, in general, since I was fucking fourteen years old (let's not even think about those horrors).
> 
> It started as a drabble, just me thinking about what it would be like to see Rin and Sousuke vie for Makoto's affection. There are definitely still going to be elements of that in the beginning, but this is a SouMakoRin fic. So keep that in mind, in case you don't particularly care for multi-ships.


	2. This heart is burning up...

The joint practice ended uneventfully. Sousuke and Rin pretended as if nothing had transpired between them; Rin bid farewell to his Iwatobi friends with a smile on his face, and Sousuke acted as indifferent as always.

_____________

_"I can’t let you have Makoto without a fight."_

_"You’re being ridiculous."_

_"Am I? You don’t even know Makoto, but **I**  know  **you** , Sousuke.”_

_"What is that supposed to mean?"_

_"It means, you’ve got a reputation, and I will never let you use Makoto as just another warm body."_

_____________

Sousuke bristled while remembering Rin’s words. He wasn’t as much of a “playboy” as people thought of him. He simply hadn’t found the one he wanted to settle down with. It wasn’t his fault if other people fell for him.

Storming out of Samezuka’s locker room, he ran into what felt like a brick wall.

"OH! Yamazaki-kun, I’m so sorry."

Without having to look up, Sousuke immediately recognized the smooth voice of Makoto.

"I didn’t see you there, I’m sorry!"

"Stop apologizing," Sousuke said without meeting Makoto’s eyes. He pushed forward without a second glance, willing his heart to stop pounding.

"Yamazaki-kun?"

"Sousuke. Just call me, Sousuke," he said. The teal-eyed man kept moving forward, hopelessly wishing for this moment to end.

"Sousuke… right, well, I- you did well, today."

The fight to remove himself from the one-sided, uncomfortable situation left him. Sousuke stopped in the hallway and glanced back.

Makoto, with his ever present smile, nodded his direction in acknowledgment.

"You’re a very talented swimmer, Samezuka is lucky to have you. Unlucky for us, of course," Makoto chuckled.

"You’d have beaten us, if it weren’t for me."

Taken aback, Makoto stared. Feeling slightly ashamed for his brashness, Sousuke continued, “You know, Ryugazaki is your only weakness.”

The steel that came over those soft, green eyes froze Sousuke in place.

 _Sousuke, shut up! What are you saying?!_ He silently chastised himself. ”I mean, I know he has come a long way from last year, judging from what Rin told me, but if you ever hope to beat us, you better work with him more.”

The way Makoto’s eyes lit back up at the sound of Rin’s name, gave an odd jab to Sousuke’s stomach.

"Rei has shown more potential than most life-long swimmers I’ve seen. I’m very proud of him."

Scrambling, “Of course, you should be. He’s done well…” Sousuke trailed off, not knowing how to finish the conversation without appearing as a jerk.

"Sousuke," came Makoto’s voice, as if he was testing the name on his tongue, "It’s fine," he finished with a smile. "As captain, it’s good to hear what our rivals have to say."

Bewildered by Makoto’s response, “Right…” was all Sousuke could utter.

"Thanks for your input, it means a lot coming from someone like you."

The smile on the brunet’s face could have unraveled Sousuke. The sudden urge to wrap the other man in his arms was strong. That damnable heat, he felt it rushing toward his face, so he turned to continue onward. Heart and brain were fighting for control over his tongue.

"It’s nothing, I’d just like there to be a good race during regionals. Iwatobi is our only hope for that."

Makoto laughed quietly as he watched Sousuke’s retreating back, “You’re much nicer than you like to let on, Sousuke.”

Not sure if he was meant to hear Makoto’s response, Sousuke kept walking, face ablaze. He lifted an arm in a half-hearted wave and said, “Later, Tachibana.”

"Hey!" Makoto’s amused voice called for him. "You know, if you expect me to call you Sousuke, you’ll have to call me Makoto."

Despite himself, a small smile crept to his lips, “Fine. Makoto, I’ll see you at regionals, don’t disappoint me.”  
_____________

Coaching at the Iwatobi Swim Club had been one of the greatest experiences for Makoto. Not only was it something that he had done solely for himself, it was a moment of clarity.

He finally felt as if he knew what direction his life would take. Teaching kids, guiding them to be the best they could be, gave him pure joy. Working with little Hayato, and helping him with his fear of swimming, had brought out the best in Makoto. Maybe he could be a teacher, or a swim coach! Just thinking of the possibilities had him bursting with excitement for the future. 

The last day at the swim club had been so bittersweet, Makoto wasn’t sure he was ready for it to end. When Coach Sasabe had told him there was a replacement for him, his heart sank. Hearing the sad cries of his kids had been even worse. Makoto knew that he had other, more important things to focus on, though, so he didn’t fight it. He’d come back to visit, anyhow, and the kids would be in good hands with the other dedicated coaches.

Then, Kisumi told he and Haru about Sousuke’s injury. Makoto’s heart felt like it bottomed out. He wasn’t sure why he was so affected by this revelation, especially when it wasn’t known what was wrong or if it was fixable. Still, the ache in his chest persisted.

Clearly, Sousuke continued swimming, but Makoto had no indication to whether it was at his best or not. His heart gave another painful thud thinking of his fellow swimmer. Remembering their interaction the day of the joint practice made it worse. Sousuke seemed to make sure no weakness was ever seen in himself.

_Sousuke…_

As soon as he got home, he shot Rin a text.

 **Makoto:**  Hi, Rin! I’m sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if I could get Sousuke’s number?

He waited patiently, hoping his friend would respond quickly. His phone lit up almost immediately.

 **Rin:**  Sure, I guess… why?

Makoto bit his lip, he didn’t know if Rin was aware of Sousuke’s injury or not.

 **Makoto:**  Well, he gave me some pointers the other day on how to improve our relay, I just wanted to ask him a few questions.

He hated that he wasn’t being truthful with Rin, but he didn’t want to stir up conflict between the two friends. It took Rin a little longer to respond this time, Makoto hoped that he wasn’t questioning Sousuke, but the answering text finally came with Sousuke’s contact information attached.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Makoto thanked Rin and apologized again for disturbing him.

Now that he had Sousuke’s number, though, he wasn’t sure what to do. Should he outright ask Sousuke about his injury? Should he just send a text in greeting? Should he send a text at all? Maybe calling would be better.

Finally deciding on a call, he dialed the number.

Part of him wished Sousuke wouldn’t answer. Who answers a call from an unknown number these days? But the clear baritone of the other man’s voice picked up after the third ring.

"Hello?"

"Ah, Yam- uh, Sousuke? It’s Makoto Tachibana…"

"Hey, Makoto. What’s up?"

Ah, what to say? The silence stretched much further than Makoto was comfortable with. He had no idea where to start or how to broach the topic.

"Hello?"

"I’m sorry!" Makoto started, "I, uh, well, I’ve been working at the Iwatobi Swim Club recently and I ran into Kisumi…" trailing off, he wondered if Sousuke guessed at what was coming next.

"Kisumi… Kisumi Shigino?"

Makoto wasn’t sure if he imagined the hint of anxiety in Sousuke’s voice, “Yeah! Um, his little brother takes swimming lessons there.”

Silence was all that he received.

"Haru and I talked to him today…"

"Oh?"

"Yeah, it was really nice to see him, it’d been so long. He talked a little about you and Rin and your middle school days."

More silence. Makoto felt sweat begin clinging to his face, “He said something interesting. About you.”

"What’d he tell you?"

This time, the apprehensiveness was clear in Sousuke’s voice, he didn’t like where the conversation was going.

Makoto tread on carefully, “He mentioned… uh, well… he said that he saw you at the hospital.” The words awkwardly spilled from his mouth.

"Did he?"

 _“_ Yeah…”

"And you want to know if I’m okay? Or what?"

"I just want to know that you aren’t harming yourself by continuing to swim. If you have any chance of making a full re-"

"You don’t know anything."

The terse reply made Makoto wince. “I know, that’s why I’m calling. I want to know,” he sighed heavily.

"Why do you care?"

The question had Makoto flummoxed. He didn’t know why he cared, honestly. He always seemed to care too much for anyone that was even  _slightly_  involved in his life. Sousuke was on the very periphery of his life, yet his concern was nearly overpowering.

"I, um…"

"I’m fine, worry about your own team. Aren’t you the captain?"

"Ah, well, I am, but I- well, I-"

"I’m fine," Sousuke repeated, "My injury is what it is. I’ll find my own way."

"Have you told Rin?"

Makoto thought that Sousuke had hung up on him.

_Stupid, Makoto, you came on too strong, he’s not going to tell you anything, you don’t even know hi-_

"I haven’t. I can’t."

The words came out of Sousuke’s mouth with such conviction, Makoto was astonished, “What do you mean, you “‘can’t’?”

"I mean, that I  _can’t_  tell Rin.”

Makoto was at a loss for words. Calling Sousuke had been an awful idea. This was not a conversation to have over the phone. Suddenly, without even knowing how his brain arrived to the decision, he blurted, “Do you want to meet up soon?”

Face flushed red, Makoto slapped a hand to his forehead. Deep down, though, he knew this was a good choice. Talking one-on-one would be exponentially better than this half-hearted phone call. Not being able to see Sousuke’s expressions, and with no sign as to whether he was really okay, or not… He had to be in person.

"Meet up?" the hitch in Sousuke’s breath made Makoto laugh.

"I won’t sabotage you, or anything, I’d just like to talk to you, face-to-face," Makoto spoke quickly and as evenly as he could.

"Okay, sure."

"Oh! Ah, okay, great," Makoto hadn’t expected Sousuke to accept so easily. "How about tomorrow? Whenever you’re done with practice?"

"Yeah, sounds good. Where at?"

"Well, I can meet you at Samezuka? Is that okay? We can decide where to go from there."

"Sounds good, I’ll see you then."

_____________

 _Stupid, you just said ‘sounds good’ twice!_  Sousuke could feel his cheeks burning and slapped himself in the forehead. Before reentering his shared room with Rin, he paused to take a deep, calming breath.

 _Alright, be cool-headed, here, you **know**  Rin will be full of questions. Stay calm._ He felt silly giving himself a pep talk right now, but he felt completely unnerved by his conversation with Makoto.

_Stupid Tachibana and his unneeded, heartfelt concern._

_Makoto,_  he corrected himself. “Damn it, I’m talking to myself!”

Sousuke reached a hand up to tousle his hair in frustration and growled under his breath. He paced. The full realization of what happened slammed into his chest and his heart began to race. ”Tch, okay, don’t think about him. Don’t think about seeing him tomorrow. Just don’t think.”

"Why are you talking to yourself?"

The door had swung open to reveal a startled Rin. Sousuke’s head jerked in his direction, but he quickly turned to hide his glowing face. He’d never been great at dealing with embarrassment.

Rin giggled at the other boy’s reaction, “What did Makoto have to say to you?”

Sousuke grimaced at his teasing voice, “He just wanted to talk about the relay.”

The answering silence made Sousuke wonder if he had overheard their conversation, not to mention Rin had always been far too perceptive for his own good. “I told him that Ryugazaki was Iwatobi’s only weakness. He wasn’t too thrilled about it.”

If Rin had been suspicious, Sousuke had just said the best thing to get him sidetracked.

"You said that to him?" The red-head gasped. "After  _everything_  I’ve told you about Rei?!”

"I know, I know, I already apologized and explained myself, don’t nag me," Sousuke said, rolling his right shoulder back. He brushed passed his friend to enter their room.

"Pft, well, you better be careful if you’re hoping to win Makoto’s heart, you know. He’s fiercely loyal," Rin said as he turned to follow and swung the door shut behind them. The awkward rise of tension in the room was instant, they hadn’t spoken about the locker room incident since it happened.

Climbing to his top bunk, Sousuke sent a glare Rin’s way, “I told you, I apologized, it’s fine. Anyway, he asked to meet with me tomorrow after practice, so I assume all is forgiven.” He settled on top of his comforter with his arms crossed behind his head, not even thinking twice about the words that left his mouth.

You could have heard a pin drop. The deafening silence stretched painfully over their ears, as it took Rin a long moment to process Sousuke’s statement.

"You- you’re going out with him, tomorrow?" he tried hard to fight the break in his voice, sitting down limply on his bed.

Sousuke’s heart twinged ever so slightly. He felt guilty for dropping that bomb on his friend so suddenly. “Ah, well, I mean, he just- uh, I think he just wants to talk swimming with me,” he finished lamely.

Truth be told, he didn’t know  _why_  Makoto had asked to meet up. A quiet panic rose up in his chest as he realized the olive-haired man might press him more about his injury.

 _Fuck, I shouldn’t have agreed to this,_  he thought to himself. He had successfully avoided having that conversation with anyone, and he did  _not_  want to have it with an (admittedly adorable) acquaintance. 

"I’m not going, though, so don’t worry about it."

"What? Why?! You can’t back out on him!"

Shifting uncomfortably, Sousuke flopped over to his stomach, feeling incredibly antsy and groaned, “You’re really confusing, you know. First you tell me to stay away, and now you’re telling me I  _have_  to go hang out with him?”

Rin mumbled something low and incoherent, which brought a smirk to Sousuke’s lips.

"I’m sorry, Rin, I don’t speak fluent angst like you do, could you please repeat that?"

"Tch, please, you taught me the meaning of angst," he quipped, face feeling unbearably warm.

Sousuke chuckled, but otherwise remained silent. He needed Rin’s answer. He refused to play this game for Makoto’s heart, and he knew that Rin hadn’t  _really_  meant what he said in the locker room that day. A flustered Matsuoka was always too rash; A Matsuoka with a crush was always a little too moonstruck. However, he understood that Rin had deep, very real feelings for Makoto, and he’d be willing to fight for what he wanted.

"I…" Rin didn’t know what to say. His feelings for Makoto had snuck up on him after his return from Australia. It was Makoto that had been able to poke holes in his steely exterior the previous year. That stupid, green-eyed angel… The thought of his smiling face could shatter Rin in a second… "I want you to be happy."

Even as he said the words with a smile, it felt like his heart would implode. They flew from his lips with little effort. His friends would always come first from now on, and if Makoto had asked Sousuke to hang out, it was plainly something he wanted. Rin wouldn’t get in the way of his friends’ happiness.

"You’re stupid," the blunt words made Rin look up to see Sousuke hanging his head over the edge of the top bunk.

Furrowing his brow and with gritted teeth, Rin croaked, “What the fuck? Screw you, dude.” He made to stand and walk out, not being able to handle the embarrassment, but he was stopped by a heavy hand on his shoulder.

"Stop, Rin. You’re stupid if you give up that easily on something you want."

"He’s not a  _something_ , though, he’s a  _very_  precious someone, and so are you, alright? I want you both to be happy, it’s not a big deal, just… ugh.”

Sousuke smiled softly, “I’m not going to be putting any moves on him, you know, I don’t want to rush things. I know you think I’m some sort of hyper sexual-“

"I never said that!"

"god of love making-"

"Are you fucking serious right now?" Rin facepalmed and bit back a laugh.

"Ah, see? That’s what I like to hear," Sousuke forced Rin to look him in the eye. "I want  _you_  to be happy, too, ya know. I think we can figure something out.”

"What are you talking about?"

Sousuke sighed, “I don’t know, honestly, but like I was saying, I’m not just trying to get into Makoto’s pants. He’s very attractive, yes, and that’s what initially drew me to him, but I’d really like to get to know him.”

Rin blinked, “Uh, okay, so? What does that have to do with me?”

Sousuke deadpanned, “How about you use your brain for a second and stop thinking with your heart.” Again, Rin was obviously offended but Sousuke rushed on, “Dating, you know, doesn’t mean exclusive.”

"Well, yeah, but… that would be difficult, wouldn’t it? I don’t want to strain our friendship."

"It wouldn’t strain our friendship for me to be with Makoto and you looking on from the outside?"

Rin clenched his teeth and cut his eyes to the side, “I guess you’re right. That doesn’t really solve anything, though.”

"Look, maybe Tachibana and I aren’t even remotely compatible. That’s what dating is for. Maybe neither one of us should even try dating him right now, or ever, if we can’t get passed this… but I can tell you this, he’s not going to be single forever.

"For all the time that you’ve known him and been close to him, could’ve told him your feelings for him, you haven’t. But someone  _will,_  eventually. Even with the short amount of time I’ve spent around him, it’s obvious others find him desirable.”

Rin thought back on all the times he’d seen people cast lingering glances toward Makoto. He’d always point it out and laugh it off, in favor of seeing Makoto blush.

"Damn it, you’re right," relenting, he looked into those cool, teal pools. He felt an odd jab pass through him as he saw the intensity in Sousuke’s eyes.

_This is…_

"So? What’s the verdict? I can back off completely, if you want."

 _No…_  Rin had to shake himself mentally as he realized he’d been staring and needed to speak aloud.

He laughed nervously and cleared his throat, “No, dating is fine. You’re already ahead of me, though, so I’ll have to do something about that.”

The small smile on Rin’s lips had Sousuke relaxing back into his bed, “Ha, yeah, well, I wouldn’t really call it a date. Do you even know if he’s into guys?”

Rin’s mouth gaped, “Wha- oh… well, uh, not definitively, no. I’ve never seen him with anyone, really. Except for Haru, of course, but I’m pretty sure that if something were going to happen there, it would have already.”

"Maybe it has and you just don’t know about it."

Eyes widening, Rin smushed his face in between his hands, “Goddamnit, this whole thing could just blow up in our faces!” He groaned and melted into his bed with a pout on his face.

Sousuke only sniggered.

_____________

After hanging up the phone, Makoto had tried in vain to tame his rosy cheeks.

_What was I thinking? I just asked him out! Well, not **out** , but to hang out and he accepted, and oh god, what will we even talk about?_

Makoto worried himself blind. He was so busy fretting, he didn’t realize that it was almost dinner time. A brief knock sounded at his door and then it immediately opened to reveal two, bouncing balls of energy.

"Nii-chan! It’s almost time for dinner, you need to set the table!" Ran said excitedly.

"Nii-chan, can we play video games with you after dinner?" Ren pleaded as he bounded toward is older brother’s chest.

Makoto laughed with a bright smile that lit up his entire face, “Ran, Ren, you have to wait until someone says ‘come in’ after you knock!”

Their matching petulant expressions made Makoto unexplainably happy. Still, he continued to admonish them gently, “It’s rude to just burst in.” He continued quickly, seeing Ren begin to open his mouth, “ ** _even_**  if you knock. Remember to wait for an invitation to enter, okay?”

"Yes, nii-chan," they said in unison, monotone voices.

"So, video games?!"

Makoto’s heart tugged at the hopeful look on Ren’s face, “Ah, I don’t know, Ren, maybe, but I’ve got a lot of homework to do. We’ll see, okay?”

The small “harumph” Ren gave made Makoto chuckle as he ruffled his little brother’s hair.

_____________

Dinner was the usual affair, polite chatter between family and delicious, home-cooked food. Makoto excused himself from the table, helped his mother with the dishes, and went to his room to begin his homework.

 _So much to do,_  he sighed as he stared longingly out the window. Normally, he’d be much more focused, but with recent events, his brain felt a bit fuzzy. Just then, his phone buzzed, letting him know he’d received a text.

 **Rin:**  Hey, Makoto, what are you doing this weekend?

Puzzled, he sent a reply instantly, grateful for a real distraction.

 **Makoto:**  Nothing besides swim practice and homework. Why do you ask?

He was genuinely curious. It had been a long while since Rin had asked him to do anything, just the two of them. In fact, he couldn’t really remember the last time they’d been alone together.

 **Rin:**  Well, I mean, if you have time, would you maybe like to go see a movie or something?

Huh… Makoto’s chest felt unusually warm. How happy Rin’s request made him struck him intensely.

 **Makoto:** Sure! I’d really like that. It’s been a long time since it’s been just you and me :)

 **Rin** : It really has, huh? Alright then, it’s settled! Saturday night, is that okay?

 **Makoto:**  Perfect! See you then!

Much happier now that he had two things to look forward to in the near future, Makoto forced himself to focus on his school work. He didn’t want to have to worry about it while he was hanging out with Sousuke or Rin. The rest of his evening went on undisturbed, but he kept having unusual fits of giddiness…

_____________

Rin felt like he might pass out. The tremendous amount of effort it took for him to send that first text message almost had him hyperventilating, but he managed to hold himself together.

_God, I hope Sousuke can’t hear me gaspin-_

"Calm down, Matsuoka, I don’t want to have to give you mouth-to-mouth," he could hear the smile in Sousuke’s voice.

The thought of the larger boy’s lips made Rin feel… something rather unexpected that he didn’t want to think about right now.

_Fucking hell, Rin, pull yourself together._

"You don’t give mouth-to-mouth to someone who’s hyperventilating, idiot," Rin spat.

Sousuke laughed, “Right, right. How’d it go?”

"How’d what go?" He returned cryptically.

"Don’t patronize me, I know you were asking Makoto out."

Blood rushed to his face, and he stared unseeingly at the bottom of the top bunk, “Not like a date, or anything, I just asked if he wanted to hang out Saturday night.”

"Mhmm."

"Tch, just shut up and worry about your own  _date_  with Makoto,” the timbre of Rin’s voice sent an unexpected shiver down Sousuke’s back.

_Huh…_

"Fair enough," was all he said as he turned to his left side and closed his eyes, the smallest of smiles gracing his lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heh, sooo I have a feeling that Sousuke is _really_ funny, but only with those that he's close to (like Rin). I've sort of given him my own sense of humor, which uh, I don't know is okay, or not, but hell, what's done is done.
> 
> They're all such dorks, and I love it.
> 
> Anyhow, this will be somewhat slow moving, but I'll do my best to not let the pace drag.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


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